McIntyre Tennis

Genie Bouchard Rogers Cup Press Conference

Genie Bouchard met with members of the press at the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Saturday to speak about her upcoming 12th appearance playing in Canada's premier tennis tournament. She spoke about working with her new coach Jorge Todero, the rise of Canadian tennis in recent years and also of her upcoming match against compatriot Bianca Andreescu who she will face Tuesday night on Centre Court. Here is the entire transcript from today. Check in with us later this weekend on Match Point Canada - the official Tennis Canada podcast - for our exclusive interview with Genie.

Q: You're working with a new coach these days, can you tell us how that came about and then how it's gone?

Genie: Sylvain (Bruneau) actually helped set up this partnership. It's been a couple of weeks now and I really like him. So it's going well. We're trying to change a couple of things, so it's definitely going to be a process. But I think it's the right process.

Q:  In Canadian tennis right now it's been on the rise for the past couple of years. Where do you put it? Where do you look at it and in terms of the talent that's coming up right now and where do you fit in?

Genie: I think Canadian tennis has improved a lot over the past couple years. And just the general excitement about tennis in the country I think is more - from fans watching on TV to the little kids who start playing -  I've heard so many stories that summer camps are all booked up and hearing things like that makes me so happy. I mean to just be any kind of part of it I think is an honor and hopefully it’ll continue like this for years to come.

Q: What are your expectations for Rogers Cup this year?

Genie: Well I'm going to go with my usual answer and say no expectations. Honestly, it's actually just so great to be here. It’s a little bit of a welcome home every time I come through this tournament whether it's in Montreal or Toronto I just really wanna enjoy it, enjoy the atmosphere. I was out around the grounds earlier today and doing some activities and spending some time with some of the fans just, you know, signing and taking pictures and that's a part of what it's all about,

Q: Are you looking forward to playing Bianca?

Genie: Yeah, I think it's hilarious that we play each other. I'm excited. It's actually gonna be fun. I know her well, we’re Fed Cup teammates, so it's hopefully gonna be a fun battle and I hope people enjoy it.

Q: You said with your new coach that it's going to be a process and you're working to change a few things, what in particular are you looking to change?

Genie: I mean I don't want to get into too many specifics, but just a couple of typical things on my shots,  court positioning and keeping in mind the essence of my game and also just putting in a lot of hours. He's very old school, he's Argentinian. So it's been tough. (said with a chuckle!)

Q: Genie, yesterday we had done Naomi Osaka and Bianca at the draw ceremony and Naomi recently admitted that the pressure she's been feeling in particular since the Aussie Open has been difficult for her to deal with. Bianca now is going to have to experience some of that as well as she's had success as well. For someone like you that's been at it for a little bit longer now and seems to sort of roll with all the punches so to speak, what's your secret or what advice might you have for those players that are starting to deal with it for the first time?

Genie: Well, I mean I haven't won two grand slams, so I don't think I'm in a position to give too much advice, but it’s a part of life, you know, and I think the most important thing is to just remember that it's all because of a good thing – it’s because of amazing results. In the past I let myself feel down or negative if I felt too much pressure, but at the end of the day, it's like I feel pressure because of something amazing that I did. Why should I feel sad about it? So those accomplishments that I’ve had or any of those players that you mentioned have, are there forever. So, you know, just enjoy it.

Q: You tweeted recently that you had a dream about Lady Gaga and that you guys chatted for 45 minutes. Can I ask what you guys talked about?

Genie: Um, I think I was in Dubai playing a tournament -  all my dreams I'm always at a tournament, like always. Even if something else is happening, I'm at a tournament site. Yes - tennis has taken over my life. She called because she had this concert and she was inviting me to this concert and we had hung out before, but I was like in Doha or Dubai and I was like, I don't know if I can make it. And then my mom was like, who are you on the phone with? And I'm like, Lady Gaga, you know - like give me - and you're on the phone and I remember like hanging up and seeing like 45 minutes and I was like, All right, this is a cool world to live in.

Q: Have you met her?

Genie: Uh, nope. But I did go to her concert way back in the day.  I don't know why it was her. I mean maybe I saw her for two seconds on TV and then you know how dreams are.

Q: Genie, you've got a first round opponent who’s coming off a long injury layoff. You've had to deal with that yourself. What's the toughest thing about coming back from an injury and for you does it make you approach the match in any kind of way - get into her early, get a leg up against somebody who maybe be a bit rusty?

Genie:  Injuries are the worst part about our sport. And I think, when I come back, the toughest is that competition aspect. There's nothing like real match practices. It's just nothing like the pressure or the tension of a match. I won't approach the match any differently. I know she's a great player and that's what I'm going to expect. And that's it.

Q:  Yesterday you had a cool visit to Sick Kids hospital. And I think for the kids it meant a lot to them, but it seemed like it meant a lot to you. What did that mean to you and what was the best part of being there and just hanging out with them and talking about Harry Potter and being maybe a kid again a little bit?

Genie:  I love, you know, giving back and I visited the children's hospital in Montreal many times and then other cities when we have tournaments there, so to be able to go I was so happy they had me. And if I could inspire one of them yesterday to stay positive and just keep fighting and all the hard work and sacrifices, it's really special to me. I love seeing the kids, they’re so young and energetic and so just to hang out with them, hear about what's cool to them in their life right now. They asked me about some of my experiences, meeting Drake – all of their faces lit up and they're like, oh my God. We talked about Harry Potter, I got like a wand as a gift from hospital and just kind of feeling like a kid, treating them like normal kids because they are and hopefully inspiring them, but you know, they inspire me more than I would ever inspire them.

Q: I know Montreal is your home, but this is Canada, so this is your home tournament. Do the other players ask you for what to do around Toronto and what do you hear from them about this tournament and how this tournament goes?

Genie: I mean it feels like home coming here too. Um, no one's really asked me what to do. I've been busy training, I haven't chatted that much. But I do have a cousin who lives here, and so I always try to go to some cool restaurants or things like that. I think it's a really cool city and I'm not here enough. I realized all of last year, I never came to Toronto, so I’m looking forward to spending more time there.

Bianca Andreescu Prepares For Rogers Cup Return

By Mike McIntyre

Canada's No. 1 player, Bianca Andreescu, was hard at work at the Aviva Centre in Toronto on Monday preparing for her return to the WTA Tour at the Rogers Cup. Out with a shoulder injury since her opening round victory at the French Open, the 19 year old spent considerable time warming-up without her tennis racquet before going through the usual barrage of tennis drills. Tennis Canada trainer Virginie Tremblay worked on some hand-eye coordination exercises and footwork training with Andreescu before she proceeded to hit with Isade Juneau a regular hitting partner for the Canadian women.

While the power and variety in her game were evident in practice, it was also clear that Andreescu was tiring quickly in the mid-day heat on Centre Court and has not benefited from regular practice and match play these past few months. All reports indicate that her right shoulder is ready to go and she didn't seem to favour it whatsoever in her practice session under the watchful eye of coach Sylvain Bruneau. She now has a week before she is set for her opening round match which is scheduled for the evening session on Tuesday August 6th.

Here are some shots of her practice session today.

Canadian Clash: Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime Faceoff in Madrid

Article and Photos By Mike McIntyre

For those in Canada who once upon a time dreamed of the day when the country would make its mark on the international tennis scene 2019 must signal mission accomplished. Only a third of the way through the season and it seems like Canada can already boast of stealing the show in terms of coming-out parties on both the ATP and WTA Tour's. While there is still plenty of tennis left to be played this year it would be hard to fathom two player's capturing their respective Newcomer of the Year awards other than 18 year old's Bianca Andreescu and Felix Auger Aliassime. Add the just-turned 20 year old Denis Shapovalov and you've got a trio of players who are going to capture this nation's attention for the next decade if not longer. Of course, the more success Canada's tennis crew enjoys, the higher chance that they will inevitably face one another with more frequency. Case in point - the Mutua Madrid Open which begins play Sunday and pits fellow Canadians and good friends Shapovalov and Auger Aliassime against one another in the opening round. 

The two talented youngsters have faced each other once before in an ATP match, just last summer at the US Open in New York. The match was played in muggy conditions and was split at a set apiece when Auger Aliassime was forced to retire while down 1-4 in the third frame due to an elevated heart rate. A worrisome moment to be sure but one that has since been corrected according to Auger Aliassime. At the time Shapovalov was the known quantity to the tennis world, while his younger compatriot had yet to have his breakthrough moment at the ATP level.

Fast forward to 2019 and while Shapovalov has maintained a presence in the top-30, it is Auger Aliassime who has shot up the rankings and made people take notice. The Montreal native began the year ranked just outside the top 100 on the ATP Tour but currently finds himself at a career-high No. 30. One element that sets Auger Aliassime apart from Shapovalov and other North American tennis players is his comfort level on clay, the surface that he and his Shapovalov will play each other on in Madrid. Clay is not a commonly found court surface in Canada unless you are talking about the green har-tru clay rather than the thicker red clay that is preferred in Europe and used in about 99% of ATP clay court events. This year Auger Aliassime boasts a record of 9-6 on the surface while also making his first ever Masters 1000 semifinal on hard court as well back in March in Miami. His versatility is what some predict will give him an edge moving forward in his career over Shapovalov and other contemporaries of his who will attempt to make their mark in the coming years.

Shapovalov is already a well-established product in his home country and elsewhere thanks in part to a stirring run in Montreal in the summer of 2017 where he made the semifinals, taking out Rafael Nadal along the way. Last year he proved he can have success on clay as well making the semifinals here in Madrid, though his game is not as suited to the surface in part due to his impulsivity in shot selection and wanting to end points quickly. He and Auger Aliassime could not be more different on and off the court - kind of in a Sampras vs Agassi kind of way. Auger Aliassime is the more consistent and calm presence who seems to avoid the limelight away from the game while Shapovalov has a go-for-broke style on court and appears quite comfortable crafting his social media presence where he creates entertaining vlogs and regularly shares behind-the-scenes moments with his fans.

Some pundits feel that Auger Aliassime is the favourite coming into their Madrid match due to his preference to the surface while others feel that the quicker playing Madrid courts and higher altitude give Shapovalov the edge. Whoever emerges victorious has the unenviable task of facing the greatest clay court player of all-time in Rafael Nadal in the second round. Regardless of the result one thing is certain - these two players will have ample opportunity moving forward to establish a simultaneously strong Canadian rivalry and friendship that should grip tennis fans in the country for years to come.

Interview with Canadian Sensation Bianca Andreescu

Interview by Ben Lewis, Article from Mike McIntyre

Photographs: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

One of the surprise stories so far in 2019 on the WTA Tour is without a doubt the rise of Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. She has just made the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in her first time ever playing in the tournament and has amassed an incredible 26-3 record up to this point of the year. On Wednesday she absolutely demolished two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza 6-0, 6-1. While she’s been on the radar in Canada for a few years and had a solid junior career, it is safe to say that nobody saw this quick rise in the rankings coming. She will now vault into the top 50 in the world as of Monday. We were fortunate at the Southpaw Slice podcast to speak with Andreecu just a couple of weeks ago where she spoke at length with Ben Lewis about her whirlwind start to the season. Here’s a summary of that interview that reveals a young player who is confident in her abilities yet grateful – a word she used several times – for all she has achieved thus far.

On whether or not she’s had a chance to catch her breath yet in 2019:

I got a couple of days at home after California, so I got a chance to kind of reflect on what happened. It’s been really crazy but I’m loving it. I’m really grateful with what I’ve achieved. I’m playing really well right now so hopefully I can keep up this momentum for the rest of the season.

Her pre-season turning point that showed her she was capable of more:

I played a couple of Challengers back in October/November and I won two of them. So I think at that point is where I started gaining my confidence back especially after being injured so much. So during the pre-season I tried my best to recover well. I worked a lot with my physio in the gym so I think that’s all paying off on the court.

Which early season win made her realize that her game was now at a new level?

I think it was the win over Venus. She’s a legend, I mean it was a crazy night for me. I was in awe with my trainer for like 30 minutes after the match. I think it was at that point where I’m like ok I’m able to keep up with them and now I’m able to actually beat these top players. And after I saw Denis have that incredible summer season (in 2017) I believed that if he can do it, I can do it. So I think it’s my turn now!

Have her goals changed now for the rest of 2019?

Yeah, so before Auckland my coach and I sat down and set a goal to get into the main draw of the French Open automatically which I’ve accomplished already. I actually haven’t spoken to him after setting that goal, so when I see him before going to my next couple of tournaments we’ll probably re-evaluate but from my point of view I would say that my goal would be to crack the top 40 by the end of the year.

The help she’s received from her coach Sylvain Bruneau:

Yeah he’s done an amazing job. I think we have a really good connection on and off the court. He’s had a lot of experience with a lot of great players so I’m really grateful to have him by my side.

At what age did her family realize she had a talent for tennis?

I would say when I got pretty serious with it, so at the age of 9. At the age of 7 I was kind of going back and forth with different sports. But at 9 when we moved back to Canada was when I started getting more serious.

If her parents are also athletically inclined:

Yeah, they didn’t play anything too competitively. My Dad played soccer in high school and college and my Mom played handball but it wasn’t anything too serious.

Why she plays with such a variety of shots:

I’ve actually always played like that. It was because I just get bored so I want to try something new every other shot I guess. I think that really helps me against a lot of the players on tour because I find that most of them just have one shot I guess, they just hit the ball but they don’t really do much with it so I think my game just throws a lot of them off.

Going back and forth between surfaces this season:

It was actually fine because my favourite surface is the clay. So I actually was really happy when they (Netherlands in Fed Cup) announced that we were playing on clay. I think that my game style really suits it. I had a week and a half to train on it before with the whole team, so it was good.

How it felt to be the lead singles in Fed Cup

Not gonna lie, I was really nervous before both matches. Going into Fed Cup I wanted to do my best because I’m playing not only for myself but for a team. I would say it is one of my favourite tournaments because of that reason, you never get that chance in this individual sport. But my coach helped me with coping with all the nerves and she gave me a really good pep talk before both matches - Heidi El Tabakh - it was her first tie, I’m sure a memorable one – we won 4-0, so it was pretty amazing.

Expectations on facing Czech Republic in April, the defending Fed Cup champs:

Well every tournament I go into I want to win it no matter what, but first whenever I step on the court I want to play my best tennis. Even if I lose, that I’ve given 100% and that’s all that matter to we. Obviously for Fed Cup we want to win it’s our first World Group playoffs in I think a couple of years now so we’re really looking forward to it. And we have no pressure as you said they’re defending champions. Winning that would mean a lot for me, for the whole team and all of Canada.

How she’s handling the newfound attention:

It’s pretty overwhelming but I’m loving it. I really can’t complain. I mean I don’t’ know anyone that doesn’t like attention, so it’s been pretty good. And I have a wonderful team around me so they help me stay grounded.

Genie Bouchard Out In Singles and Doubles in Indian Wells

By Mike McIntyre

Photos: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

Genie Bouchard's experience in Indian Wells did not last very long as the No. 2 ranked Canadian was eliminated in the opening round of both singles and doubles competition.

Wednesday she teamed up with her occasional doubles partner Sloane Stephens and the pair was defeated by Kirsten Flipkens and Johanna Larrson 6-1, 6-2. While Bouchard does not usually concentrate on her doubles game, she did win the first such title of her career earlier this season in Auckland. She and Stephens also teamed-up last year in Indian Wells losing in the opening round and they played at the Rogers Cup in Bouchard's home town of Montreal where they made the quarterfinals. Despite their lack of on-court success this week, the two certainly appear to enjoy each other's company as can be seen below.

In singles, Bouchard found herself once again on the losing side against Flipkens, as the Belgian beat her in a three set battle 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. It brings Bouchard's record in 2019 to 6-6 with her best result being the quarterfinals in Auckland and in Newport Beach where she lost to fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu.

Andreescu has now firmly established herself as one to watch on the WTA Tour with her strong play to start the season. The 18 year old has a 23-3 record and has been the far more consistent player, overtaking Bouchard for the top ranking spot in Canada.

Bouchard has taken her game up a level since mid-2018 but is still having difficulty getting deep into events on an even semi-regular basis. With the clay court season approaching and not playing to Bouchard's strengths, it won't get any easier for her as the WTA Tour season carries on.

Brayden Schnur Has Career Week at the New York Open

By Mike McIntyre

Photos Courtesy Amanda Schnur

Brayden Schnur feels like his professional career is in some ways just starting now despite the fact he has been playing on the ATP Tour since the summer of 2016. The 23 year old from Pickering, Ontario says that his first couple of years were such a learning experience that only now does he feel completely prepared to play his best tennis. After a self-described “roller-coaster” of a season in 2018, Schnur now feels he has a better grasp of how to plan his life off the court as well as what he needs to continue to improve upon on the court to work his way up the rankings. It certainly seems to be working as he just had the best week of tennis of his life at the New York Open where won the first four ATP Tour matches of his career en route to the finals. Despite being beaten by Reilly Opelka 6-1, 6-7(7), 7-6(7), Schnur will rise to a personal best ranking of 107^th in the world and he provides Canada with yet another relatively new face to watch in 2019.

I spoke with Schnur just a few weeks before he went on his epic run in New York. In light of his recent accomplishments, it’s quite interesting to see where his mind was at just prior to the best month of tennis he’s undoubtedly ever played.

“Coming into 2019 I think a big lesson that I learned last season was to not put so much pressure on myself when I’m not winning matches and to not get as upset. I don’t take losing really well so I think coming into 2019 I really wanted to emphasize not taking those loses so hard. Obviously always working hard to find out why I lost a match but not to dwell on it so much.”

In terms of analyzing his own strengths and weaknesses, Schnur says he is happy with both his serve and return game, but is working hard to improve his aptitude at the net. He says that his attacking game is still, “nowhere near where it has to be for me to go out and compete on a day to day basis with the best in the world.”

Avoiding setting specific ranking goals, Schnur instead had set his sights on three other objectives as this year began. After his stunning result in New York, it now seems he will have to adjust those modest targets.

Firstly, Schnur talked about wanting to get his ranking high enough that he could be seeded this year for the qualifying draw at Wimbledon. He feels his game is well suited to the grass and you can tell just by talking to him for a few minutes that he is already anticipating the short grass court season on the lawns of Europe. As for the difference of competing on the biggest stages of the world at the majors, Schnur says, “It’s definitely the most pressure. You can feel it as you get closer and closer to the match. When the matches start you can feel the tension climbing in the locker room, all the guys are just a little on edge. It’s tough at times to manage all of those emotions because everyone wants to do well at the Slams so badly.” It looks now like getting seeded for the qualifying draw at Wimbledon won’t be an issue, and instead if Schnur continues his strong play he may even be able to get direct entry into the main draw.

Schnur’s second target for 2019 was to win a Challenger event and he already came very close to accomplishing that in January when he reached the finals in Newport Beach, California. Despite falling to Taylor Fritz 7-6(7), 6-4 in the final, Schnur defeated American Mackenzie McDonald who is ranked inside the top 100 on the ATP Tour, as well as the former highly touted Donald Young.

The final goal for 2019 that Schnur shared with me was that he wanted to win the first main draw ATP match of his career. At the New York Open this week he took scratched that one off his to-do list by defeating wild card and fellow Canadian Jack Mingjie Lin in the opening round. Not satisfied with just one ATP victory, Schnur added another three before bowing out in the final against the big-serving Opelka. Wins over American veterans Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey en route to the finals – both ranked in the top 50 in the ATP Tour rankings – were quite impressive and a sign of the enormous potential that Schnur hopes he can tap into on a more regular basis this year.

Another area where Schnur is seeking results in his development as a professional tennis player is off the court. He has shown a willingness recently to engage in discussion aimed at improving the viability of a career as a full time tennis player for those outside of the top 100 in the sport. For many pro athletes if you’re even one of the best 500 players in the world you’re making enough money to earn quite a good living. In tennis however, the struggle for players like Schnur is real and it is an area that he – along with many others – feel needs to be properly addressed.

“It’s extremely tough I’m not gonna lie. I think that the ATP and ITF have a lot of work to be done. I think the prize money today where it stands is extremely - it pays well at the top and it’s kind of like a pyramid. It pays huge at the top and as you go down there’s a huge drop and I think that needs to improve. Like I said on Twitter, we need the top guys to voice their opinions. If they don’t say anything then nothing is going to get changed, but the hard part is that they’re getting paid well so why would they complain?”

Schnur was quick to admit that in our country players of his ranking are lucky enough to receive assistance from Tennis Canada. Clearly in recent years that strategy is working out as Canada can boast about the rise of several players such as Genie Bouchard, Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil as well as in more recent times Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger Aliassime and clearly this year both Bianca Andreescu and now Brayden Schnur.

“I’m fortunate enough to have Tennis Canada support me and help me out with a coach. If that wasn’t the case I’d be losing money every year. Even (inside the top 200) in the rankings I would be losing money. To have a coach who can travel with you – it costs a lot of money. On top of taking care of your own expenses and your coaches expenses. I don’t think that anyone ranked 150-200 in their sport should be losing money.”

One very positive aspect to belonging to this Canadian contingent for Schnur is the close vibe that prevails amongst them.  “Yeah for the most part I think we’re really friendly…I think we’re all a pretty tight knit group. We get along extremely well, we practice a bunch, we do things off court, grab dinner just as friends all the time and it’s a great group of guys.”

The success that Canada’s players have been enjoying in recent years was really sparked over the past five years with breakthrough singles performances from Raonic on the men’s side and Bouchard on the women’s. Both of them are still well under the age of thirty and have made the finals of Wimbledon among other achievements. For someone like Schnur, those accomplishments do not go unnoticed. He went out of his way to acknowledge the impact that Raonic’s results have had on him personally.  “It pushes us to do better and expect more of ourselves which you find is what happens with countries that get these groups of players that come up on the rise. I think that obviously Milos was the first once to do all of this, he was the leader and kind of set the tone for everyone else moving forward.”

Regardless of what level of success Schnur can achieve himself, his outlook for this coming season has already taken a gigantic leap forward thanks for his incredible week in New York.  His main priority overall is to, “Stay healthy and keep a positive outlook on things. Focusing on my game, more than the results and knowing that when my game is put in place the results will come.” He proved that statement this week and then some with the first ATP final of his young career.

Brayden Schnur Into Finals of New York Open

By Mike McIntyre

There have been a number of Canadian tennis players who have started 2019 off with a bang and it's not the typical names we've been accustomed to seeing in the headlines. On the women's side 18 year old Bianca Andreescu has carved out an impressive 18-2 record to start the season and crack the top 100 in the world for the first time in her young career. For the men meanwhile, 23 year old Brayden Schnur is making his own move in the rankings with a finalist result at the Newport Beach Challenger and is now - even more impressively - into the finals of the New York Open, a level 250 ATP event. I caught up with Schnur just a couple of weeks before the start of his impressive run. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation that reveal a player who is ready to take the next step forward in his emerging career.

Assessment of 2018:

2018 was a roller coaster for me results wise. I had a lot of really good results, I think I was in like 4 or 5 semifinals of challengers, along with a final and then I also had a bunch of runs where I lost 3-4 weeks in a row first round. It’s really tough mentally those kind of years, just because you’re always on a high or on a low. Coming out of 2018 I think I finished the year great, I had 2-3 weeks back-to-back-to-back where I was playing really great and I could feel the momentum again. In October/November I was playing really good tennis and I knew the result would come. Coming into 2019 I think a big lesson that I learned in 2018 was to not put so much pressure on myself when I’m not winning matches and to not get as upset. I don’t take losing really well so I think coming into 2019 I really wanted to emphasize not taking those loses so hard. Obviously always working hard to find out why I lost a match but not to...dwell on it so much.

Feeling more at ease as a tennis pro:

Yeah for sure. My first year and a half I was playing mostly Futures I guess and I feel like playing Futures and then playing Challengers are two completely different Tours almost. I think that first year and a half I wouldn’t even count it as being a pro just because, last year I played a full schedule. In 2019 I can kind of schedule around the tournaments that I like. I have a much better idea of where I like to play, what conditions I like to play in, obviously the travelling times and all that stuff that goes with it.

On living and training in Montreal:

When I’m back in Montreal I’m training full day schedule, six days a week training. I enjoy being in one place for more than 5-6 days at a time. So when I’m there it really feels like home. Montreal is home base. I’ve brushed up on my French. I wouldn’t go as far as cheering for the Montreal Canadiens. I’m a Leafs fan.

How often he gets back home to Pickering:

Not too often to be honest. I have a younger sister who goes to school in Ottawa and my parents still live in Pickering. I’m living in Montreal so my parents actually commute more to visit me and my sister in Ottawa and Montreal rather than us going home. Just because it’s easier for me and them as well. With tennis it’s kind of hard for me to practice when I’m there in Toronto, there’s not many players and obviously living in Pickering makes it hard because clubs are so spread out, Toronto is such a huge city

Goals for this season:

It’s hard to put a number on things just because you never know. You have these expectations and obviously you want to play a certain level and have a certain ranking but I feel it’s really hard in tennis to put a timeline on somethings. Just because there’s so many things that can not go your way, like injuries obviously or conditions that week, or sometimes you have a bad draw. I would love to win a Challenger and also get a main draw ATP level win. I’m focusing on my game, more than the results and knowing that when my game is put in place the results will come.

The added pressure trying to qualify for a Slam:

It’s definitely the most pressure. You can feel it as you get closer and closer to the match. When the matches start you can feel the tension climbing in the locker room, all the guys are just a little on edge. It’s tough at times to manage all of those emotions because everyone wants to do well at the Slams so badly. I was extremely nervous at times and I just didn’t handle the moment as well as I would have liked to. It comes down to the fact that it’s a learning curve.

The financial challenges for those outside the top 100:

It’s extremely tough I’m not gonna lie. I think that the ATP and ITF have a lot of work to be done in tennis in order to make the players happy. I think the prize money today where it stands is extremely - it pays well at the top and it’s kind of like a pyramid. It pays huge at the top and as you go down there’s a huge drop and I think that needs to improve. Like I said on Twitter, we need the top guys to voice their opinions in order for the ATP and ITF to be heard. If they don’t say anything then nothing is gonna get changed but the hard part is that they’re getting paid well so why would they complain? I’m fortunate enough to have Tennis Canada support me and help me out with a coach. If that wasn’t the case I’d be losing money every year. Even at 190 in the rankings I would be losing money. To have a coach who can travel with you – it costs a lot of money. On top of taking care of your own expenses and your coaches expenses.  I don’t think that anyone ranked 150-200 in their sport should be losing money.

Playing internationally for his country and the recent Davis Cup tie vs Slovakia:

I was invited but I kind of sat down and talked to Frank (Dancevic) and my coach was also in the conversation with us and just kind of looking forward with what was best for me and my schedule. Just because I wasn’t going to play if I went to Slovakia, I was going to be a hitting partner/if anyone gets hurt kind of guy. Second in line after Peter. Looking at my schedule and everything it was decided for my game that it would be better for me to stick to the plan to play Cleveland and Dallas which are two hard court challengers vs just coming from Australia, flying to LA, being there for ten days and then flying out to Europe to play on clay for another ten days. It didn’t make the most sense. Frank politely asked me what I wanted to do and I wasn’t going to lie to him. The Davis Cup is something I’m always up for doing and I love playing for Canada and if anyone got hurt out of those top three – Denis, Felix or Peter – I told Frank that I’ll be on the next plane out there to Slovakia on the next plane.”

The Team Canada vibe:

Yeah for the most part I think we’re really friendly. We get along extremely well, we practice a bunch, we do things off court, grab dinner just as friends all the time and it’s a great group of guys. Obviously I think that having the success of Denis and Milos, and Felix doing extremely well right now, it kind of pushes us, even though they’re younger, it pushes us to do better and expect more of ourselves which you find is what happens with countries that get these groups of players that come up on the rise. I think that obviously Milos was the first once to do all of this, he was the leader and kind of set the tone for everyone else moving forward.

Hobbies and interests away from the game:

I like to watch a lot of movies – I’m a big Netflix guy – watch a lot of movies on the road. Every now and then I’ll pick up a book just to kind of mellow out and read. Some people think that it’s weird but that’s the life of a tennis player. There’s a lot of down time on the road and often times you don’t get to go out and explore all the time so it’s what are you going to do in your room. I really enjoy watching tennis at the ATP level or the Challenger level even just online, I’m constantly watching my opponents or guys I’m going to be playing. I’ll get dinner, go out to dinner a lot with coaches and other players kind of in small groups which is always fun. But it’s pretty quiet on the road, it’s a pretty quiet life.

What would you be studying or doing if not for tennis?

I’m trying to think of that a lot and I really don’t know. I don’t know where I can see myself. I’ve tried to think of what I would do after tennis but that’s so far away and so impossible to think of anything outside of tennis because I’ve spend so much time in the sport. If I wasn’t playing tennis I think I would be an athlete of some sort. I’m too competitive not to be, so I think it would have been a sport or something – possibly soccer, I played a lot of soccer when I was young. I studied communications – so maybe commentating is something I could see myself doing some day, I feel like I see the game really well so maybe that’s in the future, you know, knock on wood. That’s kind of what I would pursue.

The longevity and talent of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic:

They just have an edge, they really do. These guys are unbelievable. I watched Nadal in Australia play an exhibition match and obviously it’s an exhibition match but it’s the week before the Aussie Open starts, and I watched him play and I thought to myself there’s no way he makes it out of the first week of the Slam - he was playing awful. He was getting killed by Kyrgios, barely getting games against Kyrgios and all of a sudden the guy can turn it on like nothing else. It seems like the way those top guys can turn it on so fast and find their games is just something else.

Françoise Abanda Refocused for 2019

Article and Photography By Mike McIntyre

Count Canada’s Françoise Abanda as someone who was happy to turn the page on 2018. The just-turned 22 year old had a trying season both on and off the tennis court last season and says she is ready to grind it out in order to get things back on track.

On the cusp of being ranked in the top 100 towards the end of 2017, Abanda was unable to take a step forward in her professional growth due to a combination of injuries and off-court distractions that stalled her progress.

Abanda wisely decided to skip the Australian tennis swing to start this year, opting instead to play a series of Challenger events in the United States. Despite the lure of attempting to qualify for the first Grand Slam of the season she chose the path that she felt would help her improve her ranking for better opportunities down the road.

“I just decided to play smaller events regarding my ranking and also I’m looking to playing more matches so I think it was just a smarter move to play some lower tournaments and try to grind and get a lot of matches under my belt.”

Abanda’s decision reaped some immediate success as she made her way to the finals in Daytona Beach where she ultimately fell to 6^th seed Anna Bondar by a score of 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-5. She followed that up with a first round loss in Plantation, Florida and Midland, Michigan but nevertheless seems inspired to stay positive as she gets her game back to where she believes it can be.

Her assessment of 2018 is fair given her 14-20 record which includes both qualifying and main draw matches at the Challenger and WTA level. Abanda also reveals an ability to keep things in perspective in her comments and allows for a bit of self-depreciating humour as well.

“For me as a player it was obviously not a good year. Not a year I wanted to have. It’s the ups and downs of tennis. My situation is also difficult because I don’t have a full time coach. It’s tough to improve my game. I’m trying to manage everything and hopefully (this) year is going to be better – it shouldn’t be too hard (laughs).”

One moment that will stand out for many when looking back on Abanda’s season in 2018 were the comments she made on Twitter following her ascension to the No. 1 ranking in Canada. She was tagged in a tweet that stated that she would not receive the same kind of attention that Genie Bouchard did when she assumed the role of Canada’s top female tennis player. Abanda now admits she did not realize the swift reaction she would receive when she replied that she would never receive that kind of attention because she was black.

When I asked her about that decision and whether or not she has any regrets about her response she replied without hesitation and addressed the fallout full on.

“This is the most asked question of my life. For me I was just speaking for myself. My intention was not to attack anybody or point fingers but it’s a delicate subject because everybody has their opinions. In a way I’m happy that I just spoke out for myself and the next up-and-coming girls or guys that are going to be in my situation and maybe it will help them. For me I was just speaking on my reality. I did have a lot of people supporting me and understanding where I was coming from but I did get a lot of heat because of it. I definitely got a lot of social media heat, negative heat, and that’s why now I just try to stay away from it and just kind of be low key about. I think it’s just better off for me to leave it at that.”

Challenges for Abanda this year will remain solely with her tennis she says and in that sense the biggest obstacle for her remains the grind of life as a tennis player ranked outside of the top 100 on the WTA. Not a big fan of travel, Abanda feels the wear and tear of life as a travelling tennis professional trying to deal with the ebbs and flows of competition.  

“The biggest challenge for me is the number of weeks you travel. You’re just never home so it’s tough. The second thing is to find consistency in your game and be able to come up with results every week, every tournament. It’s unrealistic – you’re not going to make the finals every tournament but every player is taking to go deep every week so it’s demanding. So I would say the expectations and the whole travelling. Personally I don’t love to travel.”

An area of positivity amongst these challenges for Abanda is the support she has received over the years from Tennis Canada. She is quick to point out how much her Tennis Federation has been there for her since she was a junior tennis player. This has been a refrain that many Canadian tennis players have echoed and is certainly not the case in every country.  

“Yeah it’s definitely a grind but in a way I’m still happy because being a Canadian athlete I’ve had the Federation supporting me throughout my junior career. They really helped a lot for sure. I think we’re lucky compared to other Federations. In that financial aspect I think the Canadian Federation is doing well. For me I’m grateful to have been in that system. It gives you the opportunity to save up during your junior career and prepare while they are paying your expenses.”

Abanda’s next event will be the Fed Cup where she will join Bianca Andreescu, Rebecca Marino and Gaby Dabrowski representing Canada in their tie February 9^th and 10^th in the Netherlands. Representing her country is something that Abanda never tires of and she is hoping to see a better outcome from last Spring when she had to withdraw just ahead of Canada’s tie against Ukraine due to a concussion she sustained in warm-up.

“I’ve always had great Fed Cup experiences. I’ve always come out and played at a really good level. I really like how you have a whole team, you’re really taken care of as a player – like a top-ten athlete, which I don’t really get when I’m in regular tournaments. I’m really happy to rep Canada and I’m hoping to play more Fed Cup. Last year was unfortunate because I was supposed to play the singles with Genie, but Bianca had to replace me because I fell during my warm up. So I ended up not playing at all.”

Finally healthy and excited at the opportunity to represent her country in International competition, this Fed Cup tie offers Abanda the opportunity to move past the unfortunate injury she sustained a year ago. At only 22 years old, the young Canadian has already accumulated her share of lessons on and off the tennis court and seems poised to do whatever it takes to make sure that 2019 is a step in the right direction as she continues her professional growth in the sport.

Canada Ready to Battle Slovakia in Davis Cup Qualifiers

By Mike McIntyre

Canada is set to open their Davis Cup tie against Slovakia on Friday at 3pm local time, 9am ET. The Canadians will be putting a much younger and different looking squad on the court than we have seen in recent years as 18 year old Felix Auger Aliassime and 19 year old Denis Shapovalov will carry the load in both singles and doubles.

Gone are familiar faces like Milos Raonic who is dealing with some knee issues, Vasek Pospisil who just had spinal surgery and of course the legendary Daniel Nestor who has recently retired. It is now up to the next wave of Canadian talent to show they are ready to get the job done for team Captain Frank Dancevic and Tennis Canada.

Action begins with two best-of-three singles matches on the red clay in Bratislava. The 25th ranked Shapovalov will get the call first against 26 year old Filip Horansky who is ranked 219th on the ATP Tour. Horansky has only four ATP matches under his belt with a 1-3 record. He has never faced either of the Canadian players before.

The second match of the day will pit Auger Aliassime, ranked 106th, against the 38th ranked Martin Klizan. Klizan is the veteran amongst the singles players at 29 years old and is a lefty. He will be playing in front of his hometown fans in Brastislava that will no doubt give him some added motivation to perform well. The Slovak has never faced Auger Aliassime but does boast a 1-0 career head-to-head against Shapovalov, beating him 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 on indoor hard court last year in St. Petersburg. Klizan has six career singles titles and an overall win/loss record of 140-133.

On Saturday Auger Aliassime and Shapovalov will first team-up in doubles against Filip Polasek and Igor Zelenay and then will play reverse singles against Horansky and Klizan if needed.

While Canada does not have an abundance of success on red clay, Shapovalov did make the semifinals last year on the surface at the Madrid Masters event while Auger Aliassime played the bulk of his 2018 calendar on clay - something that is rare among Canadian players.

Team Canada is rounded-out with Peter Polansky who is currently ranked 121st in the world and Captain Frank Dancevic who has come-in clutch for Canada in past ties and could play if needed. Neither Polansky nor Dancevic is expected to play unless of an injury or if there is a dead-rubber - a meaningless match - on Saturday.

Check back with us for more coverage throughout the weekend as well as updates on our Twitter page. You can also click here for an interview from my Southpaw Slice co-host Ben Lewis who chatted with Dancevic a day ahead of the tie for his take on what we can expect from the young duo of Auger Aliassime and Shapovalov.

Southpaw Slice Season Preview

By Mike McIntyre

Happy to share our first Southpaw Slice episode of 2019. Ben Lewis (@BenLewisSN590) and I take a look at Bianca Andreescu's big week in Auckland where she made her first WTA Final, discuss early season wins from Kevin Anderson, Roberto Bautista-Agut and Kei Nishikori on the men's side and Aryna Sabalenka and Julia Goerges on the women's. We also look into the Hopman Cup victory from Switzerland and offer a preview of the Canadian's in Aussie Open qualifying too.